Into the Game
by codybeatty58
Summary: It's the anniversary of Skyrim's release and Jack finds himself feeling quiet nostalgic.
1. Prologue

November 11, 2021

Jack sits bored on the couch trying to find something to watch one television. After flipping through a few channels Jack decides to play some games instead. Jack gets up and strolls over to his PC sitting on his desk. Jack sits down and starts the machine. After it boots he opens steam. Before Jack can begin scrolling the deals page pops up saying that the elder scrolls series is on sale. Jack realizes the date is eleven eleven twenty-one, Skyrim's anniversary.

"Wow been ten years already."

Jack ponders for a bit before being overwhelmed by nostalgia and deciding to play Skyrim. It's been some time since he last played but it'll be fun to get back into the game that got him into RPG's in the first place. As the computer screen dims and then relights with the bethesda logo Jack is filled with memories of the long hours spent playing this amazing game.

"Hmmm. Should I continue a previous save or start a new game?" said Jack thinking out loud.

After thinking for a moment, Jack settles on starting a new game. He arrows down to the new game and hits enter. The screen fades to black then a loading screen with Hermaeus Mora appears on the screen. The text in the corner reads "Hermaeus Mora has access to all knowledge even that of other worlds" as Jack finishes reading the sentence he realizes in all the time he had played the game he had never encountered that load screen text before. Jack shrugs.

"Must have been added with an update after I stopped actually playing the game."

The computer screen fades to black, and Jack prepares for the familiar sound of creaking and the voice of Ralof of Riverwood, but nothing happens. Jack sits there for a moment thinking maybe it's just lagging but still nothing happens. Jack hits alt f-four. Nothing. He tries hitting control alt delete to open the windows menu, maybe he can close Skyrim with the task manager, but nothing happens again.

"Dammit" Jack mutters at the monitor. "Looks like I have to restart the computer."

Jack holds down the power button for a few seconds until he hears the familiar sound that says the computer off. Something off though, the monitor is still on. Jack hits the power symbol on the lower right corner of his monitor, but nothing happens. He hits it again, this time a little more forcefully. The monitor doesn't turn off, however the image of Hermaeus Mora with the text pops back up.

"What the…"

Slimy tentacles race from the "statue" of Hermaeus Mora heading towards the monitor screen. Instead of stopping at the monitor's screen they pop into existence encircling Jack. Jack begins to struggle but is unable to free himself from the grasp of the tentacles that now have a tight hold on him. Jack is slowing being dragged face first into the monitor. As his face crosses the screen's threshold Jack blacks out.

As he begins to come back around Jack hears something eerily familiar. Creaking.


	2. A Beautiful Day for an Execution

Morndas 17th of Last Seed, 4E200

Jack awakens in what appears to be a cart. He is pretty familiar with this particular cart. This is the cart that will take him into Helgen to be executed. Jack surveys the other passenger as one of them begins to talk.

"So you're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border right? Got caught up in that Imperial ambush, same as us and that horse thief there."

The man, Ralof, gestures with his bound hands towards a rather meager looking man with brown hair also bound and sitting in the cart.

"Damn you, and your rebellion. Skyrim was calm and the Empire was lazy before you came along. If I hadn't been caught in the trap they set for you I could have stolen that horse and been half way to Hammerfell by now. You." The man, Lokir, gestures towards Jack. "You and I don't belong here. The Empire was after these Stormcloaks and we got caught in the cross fire."

"Well we're all fellows in bonds now, thief" the Ralof says practically spitting the last word at the brown haired man.

"Whose he and what's his problem?" Lokir gestures towards the fourth figure presently seated next to Jack.

"Hold your tongue thief. You're addressing Ulfric Stormcloak Jarl of Windhelm and the true High King of Skyrim."

With a worried look in his eye the thief begins talking to himself.

"Jarl Ulfric? As in the leader of the rebellion? If they have captured you, oh gods." Lokir pauses with the full depth of his realization. "Where are they taking us?"

"I don't know where we may be headed but, Sovngarde beckons. Which of the villages are you from horse thief?"

"What do you care?" the thief answered back obvious contempt in his voice.

"Every Nord thinks of home in their last thoughts."

Lokir takes a moment to let the words sink in before answering.

"Rorikstead. I'm from the small farming village of Rorikstead."

Whilst the two talked the cart had rolled down the mountain road it was travelling and had arrived at a large wooden gate. This entire time Jack had been watching trying to figure out what the hell was happening. The gate creaked open as two soldiers pushed the doors. Inside a large stone tower dominated Jacks view. He could see a few houses, and many more soldiers. Instinctively Jack looked to the right two see the grey haired man that had been leading the carts approach a woman with pointed ears, and tan skin.

"General, the executioner is waiting" called a soldier from somewhere in front of them.

"Very Well, let's hurry up and be done with it" shouted the General before engaging in conversation with the woman.

Lokir begins to pray, begging the gods for help.

"General Tullius the military governor. And the Thalmor are here too. Damn elves.

A small child off to the side asks who Jack and the others are to which is father replied by shoo-ing him into the house. The boy tried to protest before accepting his father's command and going into the house.

"This here is Helgen. I used to fancy a girl from here. I wonder if Vilod is still making that wonderful mead with the juniper berries mixed in" the Ralof pondered with a hint of bitter sadness in his voice.

The cart rolled up to a wall connected to the tower. At the base of the tower a small courtyard that was filled with soldiers, a few elves, a clergywoman, and a man with a large axe. Prominently set off to the side of the man with the axe was a chunk of wood with deep cuts, covered in a dark brown near on edge, a chopping block.

"End of the line." Ralof announced somberly.

The soldier began shuffling people out of the carts and forming two lines. A man with dark brown hair was reading names from a clipboard. As he called each name another member of the line walked over to gather before the chopping block. When Lokir's name is called he tries to make a run for it. He makes it a good twenty feet before an archer puts an arrow in his back. As the man called the last name he looked up to see there was one person still standing before him.

"Not many wood elves would dare to venture into Skyrim on their own." he said obviously addressing Jack.

Before Jack could reply to this comment the man leaned over and talked to the woman in armor next to him.

"What are we supposed to do with him. He's not on this list."

"Forget about the list. All those here are destined for the chopping block."

"On your command, Captain." the man turns back to Jack. "Sorry but looks like you are sentenced to death. We'll make sure to send your remains home for proper burial. Now move along."

He places his hand on Jack's shoulder and guide him towards the group. General Tullius commences a pre-execution speech.

"Jarl Ulfric. It was you who started this war when you murdered Torrig and tried to usurp his throne. You have plunged Skyrim into war and turmoil. You call for Skyrim to rebel against the Empire, and for that some call you a hero. A hero however would never use a great power like the voice to attempt to gain power for himself. So here today the Empire will put you down, and restore peace to Skyrim."

This speech is met with loud cheers from the soldiers, and angry grunts from the stormcloak soldiers. General Tullius gives the go ahead to the clergywoman to begin administering Last Rites.

"As we commit your souls to Aetherius blessings of the Eight divines upon you…"

At that moment one of the impatient soldiers interrupted her.

"Come on, I haven't got all morning."

"Very well then" leered the clergywoman seeming quiet irked to have been interrupted midway through her blessing.

Two of the Imperial soldiers moved toward the man and forced him to the ground.

"My ancestors look up me from Sovngarde and smile, Imperial dogs. Can you say the same of yours?"

With that the headsman lifted his axe high above his head and brought it down, cleaving the man's head clean off. Jack almost threw up at the site of blood gushing forth from the man's neck. It was at this moment Jack came to full terms with where he was. He wasn't in a game. He was in a hostile, and inhospitable land, where if he wasn't careful he could very well end up dying.

"Next the elf in the rags." calls out the Imperial Captain as two soldiers march towards Jack.

Jack begins to struggle against the soldiers whilst trying to tell them there has been some sort of mistake. He's not meant to be here, they can't just execute him. He pleas fall of deaf ears. As the soldiers force him to the ground a roar echos in the distance.

"What was that." The man with the clipboard from earlier says looking around."

"Nothing, get on with it." General Tullius, declares in an impatient voice.

Another roar sounds in the distance this time a it seems to be a little closer.

"Did you hear that sir?"

"Sentries, do you see anything?"

Thuuuummm! A large, scaled creature with wings lands on the top of the tower breaking some of the brick work, and crushing the soldier who had been standing there only seconds ago.

"MahLokYol!" comes the booming and gruff words from the dragons mouth.

The clouds darken and begin to swirl about. Meteors begin to fall from the sky pelting everything in the general vicinity of the dragon. Everyone present begins to scream and run for cover. The dragon hops from the tower to the wall following the stream of people headed towards a keep across the way. The wall gives way under the dragon's weight, blocking anyone from heading towards the keep. Jack is still kneeling before the block in fear when Ralof tries to get his attention.

"Hey! We gotta get outta here. The gods have given a chance, but they won't give us another."

This galvanizes Jack into action. He stands up as best he can with his hands still bound behind his back. Acting on pure adrenaline, as well as using his knowledge from years of playing Skyirm, Jack runs towards another tower that marked the corner of the town. Sprints through the door, and halfway up the tower staircase before stopping. Ralof runs up to him asking why he stopped.

"I'm waiting for… " The dragons head crashes through the wall upstairs and scorches the upper landing before flying off. "...that."

Jack takes off running up the stairs. He stops at the top, and walks to the wall opposite the giant hole the dragon just made. He begins to psych himself up for the crazy dangerous thing he's about to do.

"What are you doing?" asks Ralof hint of concern in his voice.

Without answering Jack sprints at the hole and leaps towards the house opposite the tower. Thanks to the dragon there was a massive hole for him to fall through. Jack manages to combat roll, surprising even himself, before sprinting towards another hole leading to the lower level. Jack drops to a slide and falls through the hole landing on his feet. He made it through the hardest and craziest part of this whole scenario, now all he had to do was run around towards the keep. He sprinted out of the house and towards the neighboring house, stopping at the corner and taking cover as the dragon sprayed flame all over a man lying on the ground, cooking him alive. As the beast takes to the sky Jack darts across the rode to a back alley behind another house, before taking a path through the backdoor and out the front of the house. Jack still functioning on memory takes a left bolting down the road towards the keep doors. Just as Jack reaches the first door Ralof runs up telling Jack to follow him. From behind him, Jack can here the brown haired man with the clip board calling Ralof a traitor. Jack and Ralof ignore the man entering the keep to the sound of screams, roaring, and yelling.


End file.
